Statement – Abortion Bill – 10 July 2013 - immediate release
Pro-choice TDs say they have been forced to oppose abortion Bill because it criminalizes women and is unnecessarily restrictive
Bill will not prevent another death like Savita Halappanavar
Restrictions will cause doctors to delay terminations – putting women at risk
Pro-choice TDs this evening declared their intention to vote against the Fine Gael – Labour abortion Bill.
Clare Daly said:
“In
the absence of a referendum to repeal Art 40.3.3 of the Constitution –
for which we call – we were willing to support legislation in line with
the X Case Ruling of 1992. This Bill however, will put more obstacles in
the way of access to life-saving abortions than are required by the
Constitution. This legislation is happening in the wake of the sad death
of Savita Halappanavar. Yet the Fine Gael – Labour Bill, by defining
and giving legal protection to 'unborn human life' from the moment of
implantation until delivery, will not prevent similar deaths. It will
make terminations illegal during an inevitable miscarriage while there
is still a foetal heartbeat. If a woman gets an infection in such
circumstances, doctors will have to delay a termination until her life
is at risk. This was what happened to Savita Halappanavar – and the same
could happen again under this Bill.”
Richard BoydBarrett said:
“Defining
the 'unborn' in this way – for the first time in Irish law and unique
in Europe – also excludes fatal foetal abnormality as grounds for
abortion. This will force women whose pregnancies will inevitably end in
tragedy to go full term or travel overseas for terminations. Yet none
of this is required by the X Ruling or the Constitution. It is a
pandering to those who oppose abortion on any grounds – and who are
prepared to see women die rather than allow life-saving terminations. It
is particularly galling that Labour are promoting this as a Bill that
will protect women's lives, when it will do nothing of the kind. It is
doubly ironic that they are supporting this reactionary Bill having
opposed the Daly Bill on grounds that it was not sufficiently radical.”
Joan Collins said:
“Abortion
will remain a criminal offense under this Bill, with the threat of a 14
year sentence for women and their doctors – including women who use
abortion pills. Combined with the new requirement on doctors and
hospitals to justify their decisions for terminating a pregnancy, this
will put pressure on doctors to delay terminations until there can be no
dispute that a woman's life is at risk – by which time it may be too
late.”
Mick Wallace said:
“For women who are so
desperate that they would consider suicide rather than continue an
unwanted pregnancy, the Bill will compel them to an examination and
assessment by at least three practitioners and possibly six. This
includes an obstetrician – who has no training in assessment of suicide
risk. The government's own Expert Group Report said a maximum of two
doctors was enough. Yet Fine Gael and Labour are putting obstacles in
the way of despairing women, forcing overseas those who are able to
travel, in order to placate the anti-abortionists in their midst and the
anti-abortion minority in Irish society.”
Luke Flanagan said:
“The
government says the Bill brings clarity for women and doctors. But that
'clarity' spells out the a woman's life must be at risk before a doctor
can intervene to terminate a pregnancy even where the demise of the
foetus is inevitable. The perverse requirement in 40.3.3 that a doctor
must allow a medical condition that is not in itself life-threatening –
such as inevitable miscarriage – become potentially lethal before they
can perform a termination, is unnecessarily retained in this Bill.”
Joe Higgins said:
“The
Bill makes no provision for abortion to protect a woman's health, or
for cases of rape and incest, or where a woman regards it as being in
her best interest to end a pregnancy. We will be calling for the repeal
of this Act, and for the repeal of Art 40.3.3 of the Constitution to
provide for the needs of women in Ireland for abortion services to be
available close to their homes.”
